Folded pad and method of manufacture thereof



Aug. 25, 1959 P. J. O'SULLIVAN FOLDED PAD AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE THEREOF Filed Dec. 10, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY Aug. 25, 1959 P. J. O'SULLIVAN FOLDED PAD AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE THEREOF 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec.

INVENTOR. Burma/(55m 05mm ILL 27' ATTORNEY FOLDED PAD AND METHOD OF MANU- FACTURE THEREOF Application December 10, 1956, Serial No 627,228 Claims. (Cl. -209) The present invention relates to scouring pads. More particularly, 7 tensile strength, and to a process for the manufacture thereof. 7

Steel Wool scouring pads have previously been prepared by folding or rolling up, along its longitudinal axis, a strip of steel wool in which the fibers run substantially parallel to said axis. The fibers which form. the strip are held together laterally simply by some slight intertwining thereof and as a result of the tendency of the rough and uneven surfaces of the fibers to snag on each other. Naturally, pads prepared by merely rolling up such a strip have little lateral tensile. strength, and in use tend to rapidly fall apart. This problem has previously been recognized and attempts have been made to overcome it by the use of wire mesh or sewn or woven fibrous materials for making required weaving or manipulations add substantially to the cost of the pads.

In accordance with the present invention a substantially rectangular scouring pad comprises a plurality of superposed, substantially rectangular lengths of a flattened helix of loosely intertwined fibers. It is preferred that the layers of fibers comprising the instant novel pads (there being two layers to each of the aforesaid lengths of flattened helix) be alternately bisected and unbroken.

The term bisected layer as used herein means that the layer is composed of two segments of substantially parallel intertwined fibers. These segments abut along a line running across the pad, as occurs when the layer comprises a portion of one edge of a strip of fibers laid adjacent to another portion of an edge thereof, e.g. as occurs when a strip of fibers is formed into a closed, flattened helix. The term unbroken layer as used herein means that the fibers of a layer are intertwined relatively uniformly throughout the layer, as occurs when the layer comprises a section of a strip of fibers.

More specifically, it is characteristic of the instant pads that the fibers in each layer nln angularly, and preferably perpendicularly, to the fibers in each layer adjacent thereto. A pad of this crossed-fiber structure-exhibits a high degree of tensile strength in both lateral, i.e. edgewise, directions, as contrasted to pads prepared by simply continuously folding over one end of a strip to produce a pad wherein the fibers are uncrossed.

The present invention also encompasses a novel procedure for preparing pads of the present invention from a strip of fibrous matelial.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 .is a plan view of one face of a rectangular strip of fibers wherein the fibers are oriented substantially parallel to the major axis of the strip,

Figs. 2 to 6 illustrate successive steps in the present novel folding process,

Fig. 7 represents a specific embodiment of the pads of thepresent invention prepared according to the process illustrated by Figs. 1-6,

it relates to steel wool scouring pads of high scouring pads, however the 2,900,655 Patented Aug. 25, 1959 Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 88 of Fig. 7 in the direction indicated,

Fig. 9 is a representative schematic plan view of a continuous procedure for the preparation of the instant novel pads,

Fig. 10 is an elevation of Fig. 9, and, I

Fig. 11 illustrates a folding method alternative to that of Fig. 10.

Referring now to Fig. 1 there is illustrated a rectangular strip of fibrous material such as steel wool. The length of the strip is approximately three times its width, and the loosely intertwined fibers making up the strip are oriented substantially parallel to the major or longitudinal axis of the strip, indicated as AA.

Fold lines employed in carrying out the instant novel process according to a preferred embodiment thereof are indicated on Fig. 1. Initially, two adjacent corners 10, 12 at one end of the strip of Fig. l and one corner 14 at the other end thereof are folded over against the exposed face of the strip to form 45 isosceles triangles wherein one leg of each triangle lies along the major axis of the strip.

Fig. 2 illustrates the shape produced when the corners 10, 12 and 14 are folded over in this manner. The exposed undersides of these corners are indicated by the numerals 10', 12 and 14' respectively.

A further step in the instant novel process involves folding the strip along a line 1618 meeting the center of the upper edge of the strip at a 45 angle and extending downwardly to the bottom edge at the intersection thereofwith the fold of the medial of the three folded corners. Fig. 3 illustrates the shape assumed after such a fold.

Another fold is preformed along the diagonal 2022 therein the aforesaid two adjacent folded corners 10 and 1.2, now visible only from the underside as 10' and 12. The line of this fold goes through a point of intersection (20') of the now-abutting upper and lower edges of the original strip of Fig. l with an edge of the doubly thick strip of Fig. 4. The shape assumed after such a fold is illustrated by Fig. 5.

Fig. 6 illustrates the shape assumed on again folding over on itself the square formed in the step illustrated by Fig. 5. This fold occurs along the line 1830 of Fig. 5, running along the extreme edge of said square.

Fig. 7 illustrates the finished substantially square pad;

prepared from the shape of Fig. 6 by folding the re maining unfolded corner 32 over the edge of the pad along the line 34-22 of Fig. 6. This corner may be pressed or otherwise sealed to the upper surface of :the pad.

It is now apparent that the present pads may be prepared from a strip of loosely intertwined fibers which are oriented substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the strip by a process which comprises 'convolutely folding said strip upon itself along a plurality of evenly j spaced parallel lines oblique to the longitudinal axis of said strip, the oppositeedges' of said strip abutting; so

Fig. 8, taken obliquely along the line 8-8 of Fig. 7, illustrates the present novel pad structure in section. As is apparent from inspection of Fig. 8, the successive layers of fibers which form the pad alternately are unbroken layers and layers bisected alonga diagonal running parallel to the lay of the fibers, and the fibers composing each successive layer are oriented perpendicularly to the fibers of each adjacent layer. As a result of this structure these pads have been found to exhibit the same high degree of tensile strength edge Wise along either set of edges. Pads prepared in the conventional manner by simply continuously folding over one end of a strip of fibers so as to form a pad wherein the fibers are uncrossed and essentially parallel, normally are weak when subjected to tensile stresses perpendicular to the direction of fiber orientation.

The pads of the present invention, as a result of their improved tensile properties, hold their shape and are long lasting in use.

Figs. 9, 10, and 11 illustrate a suitable continuous process for producing pads having the present novel structural features. A strip of steel wool 40 is continuously wound around a mandrel 42. The strip is wound with its opposing edges 44, 46 abutting and forms a helix 48. The helix is slipped oft" the end of the mandrel and is passed between two rollers 50, 52 to form a flattened helix 54 which is supported on a cutting table 56. The extreme end of the flattened helix is folded over and compressed upon itself, so as to superpose short lengths thereof as illustrated in Fig. (roll type fold, 58) or Fig. 11 (accordion type fold, 59). The folded pads thus formed are then cut from the strip by a knife 60.

Thus it is apparent that the instant novel pads may be prepared by a process which comprises forming loosely intertwined fibers into a flattened helix, and doubling over rectangular lengths of said flattened helix perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis thereof so as to form a substantially rectangular pad composed of successive lengths of said flattened helix.

Although the instant invention has been described with reference to a particular embodiment thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variations and modification can be made. Thus, it is obvious that the illustrated sequence of folding can be changed considerably and yet produce the same final structure. Also, although the instant disclosure relates to the preparation of pads from strips having a lengthof about three times their width, it is apparent that other multiples may be involved, i.e. two, four, five, six and so forth. The present scouring pads may be fabricated from strips of any fibrous material (e.g. metals, plastics, vegetable fibers, etc.) wherein the fibers are oriented substantially parallel to the length of the strip, and may be impregnated, before or after manufacture, with soap or any other desired agent.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

l. A substantially rectangular scouring pad comprising a plurality of terminally interconnected superposed, substantially rectangular lengths, each of said lengths being formed from a flattened helix of loosely intertwined fibers.

2. A substantially rectangular scouring pad comprising aplurality of superposed, substantially rectangular terminally interconnected lengths of a flattened helix of loosely intertwined fibers, each of said lengths consisting of a bisected layer and an unbroken layer of said fibers.

3. A substantially rectangular scouring pad comprising a plurality of superposed substantially rectangularterminally interconnected lengths of a flattened helix of loosely intertwined fibers, each of said lengths of flattened helix being composed of a plurality of layers of said fibers, and the fibersin each of said layers running parallel to each other and substantially perpendicular to the fibers of each layer adjacent thereto.

4. A substantially rectangular steel wool scouring pad.

of high tensile strength, said pad comprising a plurality of alternating diagonally bisected and unbroken layers of of high tensile strength folded from a single strip of substantially parallel fibers, said pad comprising an outer broken layer having, an end flap, a plurality of alternat ing diagonally bisectedand unbroken interior layers, the fibers in each layer being perpendicularly oriented to the fibers of each layer thereto, each of said interior layers being terminallyinterconnected with an adjacent layer, and an outer diagonally bisected layer, said end flap of said outer solid layer being folded over an edge of said pad and aflixed to the surface of said outer diagonally bisected layer.

6. A method of preparing rectangular scouring pads from loosely intertwined fibers comprising forming said fibers into a helix, flattening said helix, and doubling over rectangular lengths of said flattened helix perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis thereof so as to form a substantially rectangular pad composed of successive lengths of said flattened helix of loosely intertwined fibers.

7. A method for preparing scouring pads of high tensile strength from a strip of loosely intertwined fibers, said fibers being oriented substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said strip, comprising convolutely folding said strip upon itself along a plurality of evenly spaced parallel lines oblique to the longitudinal axis of said strip, the opposite edges of said strip abutting, so as to form a new strip in the form of a flattened helix composed of a double thickness of crosssed fibers, and doubling over said new strip perpendicularly to its longitudinal axis so as to form a fibrous scouring pad of suc- V cessive crossed layers of loosely intertwined fibers.

8. A method for preparing scouring pads of high tensile strength as set forth in claim 7 wherein said doubly thick strip is folded perpendicularly to its longitudinal axis through an intersection of said abutting edges with an outer edge of said flattened helix.

9. A method of producing a scouring pad of high tensile strength from a strip of substantially parallel loosely intertwined fibers comprising doubling over two corners at one end of said strip and one corner at the other end thereof along diagonals originating at the centers of the shorter edges of said rectangular strip, further folding said strip along a diagonal originating at the point of intersection of a longitudinal edge of said strip with the folded comer diametrically positioned in relation to the remaining unfolded corner, doubling over the rectangle diagonally bisected by the junction of the aforesaid two corners and a longer edge of said strip, and folding the remaining unfolded corner of said strip about an edge of said doubled-over rectangle to produce a folded scouring pad of layers of substantially parallel loosely intertwined fibers, said pad having high lateral tensile strength.

10. A method of producing a substantially rectangular pad of high tensile strength from a rectangular strip of substantially parallel loosely interwoven fibers, said fibers being oriented along the major axis of said strip and said strip having an initial length of about three times its initial width, comprising doubling over, against one face of said strip, two adjacent corners at one end of said strip and one corner at the other end thereof, said corners each being folded along diagonals intersecting at 45 the major axis of said strip at the points of intersection of said major axis with the ends of said strip; doubling over, against said face, the resulting shape along a diagonal intersecting .at 45 the mid-point of a longitudinal edge of said strip; doubling over a square containing the two adjacent aforesaid folded corners; folding the remaining, previously unfolded, corner of said strip over one edge of said square; and joining said remaining corner to the external surface of said square, whereby there is produced a high tensile strength square pad of layers of substantially parallel loosely interwoven fibers, each of said layers being perpendicularly oriented with respect to each layer adjacent thereto.

Kingman Sept. 8. 1925 10 6 Field Oct. 25, 1927 Martin Oct. 11, 1938 Englund Aug. 17, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Switzerland Mar. 16, 1948 Canada Dec. 28, 1954 France Apr. 19, 1952 

